By Demetrius Dillard
It was December of 2016 when I did an in-depth self-assessment and considered whether partaking and celebrating mainstream holidays were even worthwhile. I was upset at myself for spending a considerable portion of my check on gifts, more concerned about making others happy. As I began to realize the purposelessness in my holiday-indulgent behavior and was enlightened on the historical legacy behind these days, low and behold, my eyes became open.
Fast forward about three years later — I no longer celebrate any so-called holiday: Easter, Halloween, Independence Day and especially Christmas. There is, however, an exception with Thanksgiving, but even my participation in that regard has been scarce over the past few years.
Upon learning that most of what I celebrated was against my religion, I knew it was time to make a radical change. It’s truly amazing when I reflect on the years I looked forward to the holiday season, only to end up feeling pressured to unnecessarily spend money on gifts.
Obviously the holiday season doesn’t exclusively consist of Christmas. Halloween serves as kind of a segway into what is known as the ‘holiday season,’ beginning with Thanksgiving, culminating with Christmas and winding down with New Year’s Day.
Then of course are the less significant federal holidays like Independence Day, Memorial Day, Valentine’s Day, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day. Though holidays are celebrated across the nation all year, the “holiday season” refers to a particular time every year. Sadly, it is that season when top-tier corporations capitalize from the spending power of Black America almost to the point of absurdity.
I get it. “Holidays are harmless. What’s wrong with celebrating and fellowshipping with family and friends? Where’s the harm in expressing love for others by buying them gifts?”
Correspondingly, my concern is – if the holiday season was so ‘harmless,’ then why is it the most emotionally and financially draining time of the year, despite the proliferation of countless holiday survival guides? Perhaps many of us should consider the origin of these holidays, the great deal of energy we are exerting and who are the real beneficiaries of days like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Easter and Halloween.
Finance expert and author Dr. Boyce Watkins wrote an article some time ago questioning why Black Americans, specifically, patronize and indulge in major American holidays. The article is titled “Why Black People Give Everything and Receive Almost Nothing” and gives a vivid illustration of how deeply embedded Black Friday and Christmas are in Western civilization.
“As a result of black financial addiction, we not only spend most of our money during holidays like Black Friday, we also end up giving our money away to people who do not have our best interests at heart. Even worse, these individuals are often selling us things that don’t make our lives better,” Watkins wrote.
“The factors that lead to economic exploitation often link to a lack of understanding of economic systems, a lack of hope, low self-esteem, a lack of organization or commitment to a core mission and many other factors that continue to plague the descendants of slaves in this country. When we don’t understand all that we can build with our $1.1 trillion in spending power, we are effectively donating these resources to those who are building institutions for themselves and their children.”
This trend, Watkins continued, should cease to exist. He went on to highlight how Black empowerment is primarily linked to the economic decisions made individually and collectively.
“We must wholeheartedly commit ourselves to the principles of Black Economic Intelligence in order for other communities to respect our power and be forced to acknowledge the contributions that we’ve made to American society and to life around the world,” he wrote.
“My hope is that if you spend heavily during the holidays or any other season, you do all you can to a) buy black and b) buy things that will improve the condition of your family and community, like shares of stock, books and educational materials for your children. Just by doing these two things on a regular basis, we can rise from among the downtrodden and find ourselves among the most advanced, most prepared and most unified groups of people on the planet.”
This is not to condemn one who chooses to celebrate any mainstream American holiday, but to prompt readers to think beyond what they have been taught and exposed to.
